In order to to promote academic teaching on multiculturalism in general and in Israel in particular the Center for the Study of Multiculturalism and Diversity will offer and support the development of courses on these topics. our goal is that Hebrew University graduates will know his or her society, be sensitive to other points of view, will appreciate diversity and be critical towards the power relationships in our society.
Israel is a country of diverse populations who may be differentiated by nationality, religion, religious observance, ethnicity, culture, and more. The multicultural challenge characterizes the western world in the global era. In Israel the challenge is especially complex since it is an ethnic Jewish nation state. Therefore, Israel faces many crucial questions such as: How much should the majority culture dominate? To what extent should diversity be accommodated? How much of a voice should the Other have? How can Israel create a common public sphere in which all of these diverse communities can feel a sense of belonging – in which they can connect? Can there be a national identity or characteristics of a core, shared citizenship with which everyone can identify? Should everyone share a common language? A common educational system? What should be shared - and what should remain separate? These are legal, social and political questions. The course will focus on several case studies from the Israeli reality that will be analyzed using theories of multiculturalism.
Instructor: Michal Barak, executive director of the Center for the Study of Multiculturalism and Diversity
Cultural diversity and minority rights pose major challenges in western democracies and in nation states. A range of disciplines have begun to introduce major theories in relation to these challenges that in turn became the subject of a vibrant discussion in in law, the social sciences, the humanities and even in the life sciences.
The purpose of this workshop is to expose the participants to the research on inter-disciplinary multiculturalism; to introduce the main challenges and dilemmas this approach raises in an effort to create a dialog between the participants and afford an opportunity in which the challenges of diversity and minority rights are considered and evaluated in the realm of an academic setting.
The workshop is credited two points and will be conducted in English. Classes will be conducted during the spring semester on Mondays at 16:30- 18:00
Academic Supervisor: Prof. Michael Karayanni Academic director of the Center for the Study of Multiculturalism and Diversity
The Clinic for the Study of Multiculturalism and Diversity is a unique and first of its kind interdisciplinary initiative. It is a clinical course run in cooperation with the Clinical Legal Education Center and as such it has an academic aspect as well as a practical aspect.
Our students come from various schools of thought: future lawyers, psychologists, journalists, sociologists and anthropologists. All coming together for the purpose of exploring the loaded and intriguing intersections between the various cultural groups comprising the Israeli mosaic. The multicultural “experiment” in Israel will be discussed on its successes and failures, while considering different groups among which Haredi people, Arab-Palestinians, Ethiopian Jews, Sephardim, Russian speakers, and LGBT community.
The interdisciplinary nature of the clinic is meant to allow a holistic treatment of these burning issues. This is by simulating a social “one stop shop”, which provides clients with legal assistance, media consultation, public policy drafting and more. The clinic aims to develop new strategies for battling discrimination and incitement to racial hatred. It will also work to advance workplace diversity, to advocate for a multicultural public space, and to increase the cultural accessibility of health and welfare services.
We will aim to use the multicultural theoretical framework as a driving force to advance minority groups and promote the dialogue between them, while employing a critical view on the concept of multiculturalism. The project will move, then, between sketching the borders of “new multiculturalism” in light of criticism, and practicing activism in a multicultural age. In so doing, the clinic seeks to offer students intellectual and practical challenges, as well as a starting point for a personal journey.
Clinical instructor: Adv. Inbar Peled.
Academic advisers: Prof. Michael Karayanni, Dr. Honaida.Ghanim.